Die pattern



Nov. 17, 1964 H. WOHLMUTH DIE PATTERN 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. ll, 1962 INVENTOR H0 WA/i0 WOHLMUT H ATTORNEY Nov. 17, 1964 H. WOHLMUTFI 3,157,085

DIE PATTERN Filed Sept. ll, 1962 3 SheetS-Sh9et 2 INVENTOR HOWA Ii0 WOHL MUT H 731 ATTORNEY Nov. 17, 1964 H. WOHLMUTH 3,157085 DIE PATTERN Filed Sept. 11, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR I-IOWA/PD WOHLMUT H ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3157,085 DlE PATTERN Harvard Wohlmuth, 6802 Cress Conniry Blvd.,

- Baltimore 15, Md. Filed Sept. 11, 1962, Sex. N0. 222,899

6 laims. (Cll. 83-657) This invention relates to adjustable cutting dies, and cOnsists more particularly in new and useful improvements in a die pattern especially designed for use in the manufacture of articles of clothing such as pants, which have heretofore required time-consuming efiort in making the necessary acljustrnents and variations of a basic pattern to suit the rneasurernents -of a particular individual.

Conventionally, an original pa'ltein of a selected style devel-oped by a pattern designer requires certain modifications as io length, Width, ris-e, and varieus measuren1ents to suit the individual for whom the pant-s, -for example, are being made. When the elozh is l-aid out for eutting, the final pattern is used to mark the cloth, which is then cut either by soissors or other eutiing machines, duringwhieh operation errors are often made, either in the drawing of the pattern or in undertaking to adjust it With the grade. Also, during the eutting operation, the cutter, in so-me instances, fails to accurately follow the line so that the cloth as finally cut is inaceurate.

It is the primary object of the presen-t invention to provide a die pattern which is basically shaped to form a particnlar porion -of any arti fle cf clouh or o-ther suitable material, such, ;for example, as =the front er the back portiori of a pair of pants, and is adjustable to provide the required measurements for seat, knee, euif, rise and waist, both as to W=idth anal lengih, anti, atthe sarne time, designed to effect the necessary -variations in rofile ooniour 1:0 compensate for such variations in lengch and Width.

Another object of the inventi-on is to pr-ovide an adjusfi able die pattern of this type having cutting edges of resilien-t strip steel of razor-iedge sharpness and adapted to be placed upon one o1 more layers of cloth to cut a seleeted pattern under the force of a heavy press =or The like, the resilient strip steel eutting elements automatically adjusting themselves to provide the required eontours to compensate -for length and width adjustments of the overall die pattern.

Another object of the invention is "eo providean adju-stab1e die p=attern or use in a heavy press or the like, including stabilizing blocks ro avoid distortion of the sprin steel eutting elements nnder pressure.

Still another objeot of the invention is 1&0 prvide a die pattern including a telescoping adjustrnent of the cutting elements which are arranged in overlapping relation at adjacent'extrernities and including means for maintaining a predeterminecl uniform spacing or; gap between the overlapping poriions -to avoid the colleotion o f shredded mate- Iial Which would otherwise lodge between the blades and force them apart.

A further object of the invention is to provide a die pat- 1 tern wherein the connections between the main frarne o f the die and the spring steel er other flexible metal cntting elements are pivotal and/or slotted to facilitate the attainmenr of a smooih curve between the points cf attachment Without localized flat spots wh=ich would oocur with rigid attachments t-o the cutting elements.

A further obje'ot 1's to perrnit freedom in longitudinal movement of the cutting elements between the transverse points of attachmen-t due to the lengthening or shoriening action along the eutting elements as the transverse adjustments are varied, thus precluding bending With resultant high operating loads of the transverse operating mechamsrn.

3,157085 Paienizeel Nov. 17, 19164 A still fiurther objeot cf the invention is to provide an adjustable die pattern wherein the adjustment of one area automatically adjusts a related a1'ea so as -ro produce a finished pattern having the required contours.

With the above and other objects in view whicl1 Will appear as lhe description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel fea-tures herein set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended elaims.

Referring t-o the drawings in which numerals of like cllaracter designate similar parts throughout the sever=al wews:

FIG. 1 is an o-verall perspective view of a die patterll formed in aceordance with the invention;

{FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. l; v

PIG. 3 is a similar view taken 011 line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken online 4-4 o=f FIG. 1 and illustrating one of the supporting block members;

-FIG. 5 is a t-op plan view -of the element shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged lan view of the bracketed a1ea indicated in FIG. l, but taken from the reverse side of the die pattern;

FIG.- 7 is a similar view of the indicatecl braclzeted area 0I" FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sin1ilar view of the indicated braekeed area of FIG. l;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary seetional view tak-en 011 line 9-9 of FIG. 7, illustrating the gear accommodating slot arrangem-ent; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a rn fi dified -f0rrn of selec-tive adjusting mechanism.

In the drawings, FIG. l illustrares the =overall die pat tern Which, in the form shovvn, representg the pattern for one front portion of a pair of pants. I-lere it will be seen that the assernbly comprises a central longitudinally extending snpport member generally indicated by the numeral 1, and consisting of a centralhousing 2 in the form of an inverted channel, the lower side of which is closed by a elosure plate 3. The housing 2 is open at its opposite longitudinal extremities to slidably receive telescoping su;:% 1301'l1b2115411d 5 for the top and bottom portions respecfively -of the die pattern. The particular st1 uoture of the central support mem ber 1 Will be described more in detail later on.

The cutting elements o'f the die pattern comprise a series of cornplernentary strips of relatively thin spring steel o1 other suitable metal having the desired flexibility and of substaniially razor-sharpness along both upper and lower longitudinal edges, said strips being shaped to collectively define the basic contour of the desired pattern, With adjacent ends of respective strips arranged in overlapping, sliding relation so as to enable telescopic adjustment, both as to length and width, as Will later appear. More specifically, the cutting assembly comprises a pair of upper area cutting strips 6 and '7, respectively contoured to define the boundaries of the rise of the pattern, said strips being bent inwardly at substantially right angles at the top o1 Wais of the pattern With their encls overlapping as at 8 to provide for adjustrnent as to Width. T0 accomrnodate longitudinal adjustrnent, a second cutting strip 6a overlaps strip 6 and is slidably connected thereto as will be described.

Similarly, the bottom portion of the cutting assernbly cornprises a pair of cutting strips 9and 1G, contoured to define the inner Seam and outer searn boundaries respectively of the pattern, and also bent inwardly at substantially rigl1t angles at their lower extremities where they overlap as at 11. Between the upper strips 6, 6a-7 and the lower pair cf strips 9-10, and contiguous therewith, are an intermediate pair of cutting strips 12 and 13 which are generally contoured to cornplete the inner and outer searn boundaries at the interrnediate portion of the pattern. One end of strip 12 is bent inwardly at an angle as at 14 and overlaps an adjacent oppositely curved portion 15 of strip 6a to jointly forn1 therewith the crotcn portion of the pattern, the overlapping relation perrnitting the necessary adjustment, as Will later appear. The opposite end of strip 12 overlaps the adjacent end of strip 9 as at 16 and opposite ends of the other interrnecliate strip 13 overlap the corresponding extremities of strips 7 and 10 as at 17 and 18.

The means for securing the cutting assernbly to the central support member 1 and the rneans for efiecting the various adjustments of the pattern will be described later n, but in the interest of continuity, the particular relationship of the respective cutting strips should be noted. As previously pointed out, it is important (hat the overlapping portions cf the respective cutting strips be maintained in transversely spaced relation so as to prevent shredded material from becoming lodged between the blades er strips to ultimately force them apart when pressure is applied. Ordinarily, this spacing or gap is from of an inch to of an inch, which has been found satisfactory in that it allows the string of unwanted material to remain with the waste material without becorning lodged between the blades. This spacing is accornplished first by providing an angularly bent spacing flange 19 at an extremity of one overlapping strip which abuts the opposed surface cf the adjacent strip and is cf a depth to provide the required gap, as best seen in FIG. 6, for exa.rnple. In addition, and in Order to insure that the overlapping entting strips operate and change contour in perfect accord and unison, the overlapping strips are provided with a guide track and tongue arrangement which not only maintains the required gap between the cutting edges of the strips, but retains the overlapping areas of respective strips in uniform relation to one another, both during longitudinal and lateral adjustrnent thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the underlying strips is provided with a trackway 20 which extends longitudinally of the strip for a length to afford the required adjustrnent, and Within this trackway a complernentary tongue strip 21, secured to the adjacent overlying strip, is adapted to slide longitudinally. Thus, upon the longitudinal telescoping adjustment of adjacent strips, the entire overlapping areas of the strips are retained in uniformly spaced relation, regardless of the curvature or contour to which the strips are adjusted. In this connection, in order to accornm0date these guideways, the spacing flanges 19 are preferably recessed intermediate their ends as at 19a as seen in FIG. 4.

As seen in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 taken in conjunction With FIG. 1, the overall cutting assernbly is connected to the central support rnember 1 at longitudinally spaced intervals by a series of connecting blocks arranged 011 opposite sides of the central support member 1 between the latter and the inner faces of the various cutting elements. These blocks are generally arranged in opposed pairs, and in addition to acting as connectors for the cutting assembly, they also coact With the adjustrnent mechanisrn hereinafter described to cause the lateral expansion and contraction of selected areas of the cutting assembly. One pair cf blocks 22 and 23 are arranged at the Waist end of the pattern, another pair, 24 and 25, are arranged in the area of the rise or hip portion of the pattern, another pair, 26 and 27, substantially at the knee portion, and a fourth pair, 28 and 29, are arranged substantially at the ankle portion. An additional single block 30 is preferably located between the central support member and the crotch cutting element of the pattern.

As these connecting blocks are substantially the same in construction, a description of one will suffice. For example, as seen in FIG. 4, the block 24 preferably comsists of a metal casting 31, longitudinally drilled and threaded from one end to receive a screw shaft 32 which extends through the adjacent side Wall of the housing 2 of the central support mernber. The opposite end cf each block is pivotally connected as at 33 to a lug 34 which is securecl to the inner face of an adjacent cutting element, in this instance the spring strip 13. This pivotal connection affords a degree of floating action during the adjustment of the elements of the cutting assembly.

Returning to the screw shaft 32, it will be seen in FIG. 6 that this shaft continues through the housing 2 and its opposite portion 32a operatively engages complementary threads in a bore in the opposite block 25. Within the housing 2, the shaft 32-32a is provided With one gear 35 which meshes with a complementary gear 36 on a short shaft 37 which extends through the top wall of the housing with its outer end connected to a crank arm 38. Thus, rotation cf the crank arm and gear 36 causes rotation of the shaft 3232a 10 either project 01' retract the blocks 2425 for a selected adjustment of the cutting assembly.

For a coordinated adjustment of the pattern, it is desirable that certain other areas of the cutting assembly be correspondingly adjusted simultaneously with the adjustment of the areas connected to the blocks 24 and 25. This is accornplished by providing a bevel gear 39 on the combined shaft 3232a within the channel of the housing, adapted to mesh With a complementary bevel gear 40 carried on the end of a longitudinally extending shaft 41. This shaft carries another bevel gear 42 which meshes with a bevel gear 43 carried at the inner end of a laterally ,projecting screw threaded shaft 44 which extends through the wall of the housing and operatively engages complementary threads in a bare in connecting block 30. Thus, simultaneously With the adjustment affected by the blocks 24 and 25, the cutting elements 6 and 6a are correspondingly adjusted.

The simultaneous adjustment of the waist area of the pattern through blocks 22 and 23 is efi?ected in a similar manner by providing meshing bevel gears 45 and 46 respeotively carried by an extension 47 of the shaft 41 and the laterally extending combined shaft 48-48a. lt will be apparent that rotation cf the shaft extension 47 causes the projection or retraction of the blocks 22 and 23 coincident With the adjustment of blocks 24, 25 and 30.

In order to accommodate the telescoping action of the support bar 4 with respect to the housing 2, the shaft extension 47 is connected to the shaft 41 by a set of telescoping sleeves 49 and 50, the latter being provided with a longitudinal slot 51 which coacts With a pin 52 in sleeve 49 to insure rotation of shaft section 47 with shaft 41, regardless of the projection or retraction of support bar 4.

The intermediate area cf the trouser leg portion of the die pattern is adjusted in a generally sirnilar manner through blocks 26 and 27. A crank arm 53 is connected to the projecting end of a short shaft 54 extending through the top wall of the housing and carrying Within the housing a gear 55 which meshes With a complementary gear 56 on a combined screw shaft 57-57a, the respective sections of which engage the threads in bores in blocks 26 and 27. Preferably, the outer ends of the blocks 26 and 27 are pivotally mounted as at 33a in slotted lugs 34a fixed to the adjacent cutting elements. This facilitates the uniform adjustment of this area of the pattern and compensates for certain contour changes aflected by the everall adjustment of the cutting assernbly.

The cuff or ankle area connecting blocks 28 and 29, as best seen in FIG. 8, are secured to the cutting elements 10 and 9, respectively, by any suitable means such as screws 58, and these blocks are drilled and threaded at spaced points in their opposed edges to receive combined screw shafts 59-59a and 60-60a which extend through the housing 2 and are provided with gears 61 and 62, respectively. An adjusting crank 63 is mounted on a short shaft 64 carrying a gear 65 which meshes both with the gear 62 and a connecting gear 66, which latter gear meshes With gear 61 011 the other screw shaft 59-5911. rotation of the crank 63 causes the simultaneous projection 01 retraction of both ends of each of the connecting blocks 28 and 29.

In this connection, it Will be noted that With the exception of tl1e cufl. er ankle area, wherein the cutting elements are rigidly connected between the spaced points 53, the contour E the blades er cutting elements changes Witl1 adjustment. The rigid connection is provided at the cuif to prevent any alteration of the contour of this localize'd area, other than the Width thereof.

In Order to insure accurate adjustrnent of the die pattern, both longitudinally and laterally, the telescoping support bars 4 and of the central support member are calibrated as shown in FIG. l, and at least one of each pair of connecting blocks is similarly calibrated. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the casting 31 is calibrated as at 67 to coact with an indicating arm 68 fixed to the side Wall cf the housing 2. Similar indicating means are provided at the various adjustable areas of. tl1e pattern.

As previously stated, this die pattern is used in comnection With a heavy press and in Order to avoid distortion of the thin spring steel cutting strips 1111de1 pressure, each of the connecting blocks as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is provided 011 its upper and lower faces with resilient rubber pads er the like 69. These pads are of a thickness t0 extend sliglmtly beyond the cutting edges on opposite sides of the cutting assembly so as to receive the aotual pressure foroe of the platen 01 :the pressand distribute said force throughout the pattern. In addition, it is advisable to provide a seri es of supplemental pressure receiving blocks 7il projecting inwardly from selected points thronghout the pattern area. For exarnple, as shown in FIG. 3. these blocks which are not connected to the central support member, are secured by screws er the like 71 to the inner faces of selected cutting elements such as 12, and are provided on bot'n faces With cushion pads 69.

Although not shown in the drawings, in addition to the coordinated adjusting mechanisms, certain areas of the pattern, such, for example, as the waist area, may require independent adjustments of a minor nature. This can be easily accomplished by providing separate adjusting mechanisms in these areas.

The channel 2 and the telescoping support bars 4 and 5 are suitably recessed and slotted t0 accommodate die fixed gears which actuate the adjusting mechanisms during the telescoping adjustments. For example, by reference to FIGS. 7 and 9, it Will be seen that tl1e inner end of the lower telescoping support bar 5 is provided witn intersecting elots 72 and 73 extending lcngitudinally in bar 5 and arranged to accommodate the gears 55 and 56. in other words, during longitudinal movement of bar 5, Ehe slot 72 accommodates the periphery of the gear 56, and the slot 73 accommodates the periphery of the gear 55. Sirnilar slots and recesses are provided threughout the central support member and its telescoping support bars to accommodate the other gears, but specific reference thereto is believed unnecessary to an understanding cf the invention.

It may be pointed 0ut that the primary advantage of providing double edged cutting elements resides in the adaptability of the die pattern for maximum utilization er" the materials being cut. For example, it has been found that by reversing the position of a die pattern between cutting operations, tl1e Operator is enabled t0 so place the pattern as t0 avoid nnnecessary waste 0f material. This will be readiiy apparent to one skilled in this field. Also, to facilitate the lif-ting and manipulation 0f: the die pattern, it is preferable to provide suita-ble handles such as at 74 in FIG. 1.

It will thns be seen that the present invention provides a very eilicient and easily operable cutting die pnttern which, while primarily designed for use in the cutting 0f Thus,

trouser parts, can be readily 2dapted for various cutting operations and for use With a wide variety cf materials.

As previously pointed out, separate adjusting mechanisms may be v rovided in areas such as the vvaist area which is not coordinated With the main adjustment mechanism. Per example, in FIG. 10, the previously described gear 46 is replaced by a gear 78 fixed to a clutch sleeve 79 whieh is slidably mounted on the screw shaft 81, the latter replacing the screw shaft 48, 48a. This sleeve 79 is provided With a key 83 whieh slidably embraces a longitudinal -slot 82 in shaft 81 and is thus rotatable With tl3e shaft.

As een. in the drawing, the sleeve 79 is provided with a peripheral recess 79a which is engaged by the birurcated end of an arm 84a carried =by a rotatable element 84 pivoted to the frame at S5. An arm 86 is keyul to the pivot shaft 85 to efiect adjustment of the gear 73. Thus, when the arm 86 is moved in clockwise direction, this movernent is transmitted through element 84 and bifurca-ted arm l4a to the sleeve '79, sliding the latter to the left in FIG. 10 to disengage gear 78 from gear 45. Counterclockwise rnovement of the arm 86 canses re-engagement of these two gears.

In operation, when it is desired t0 disconnect die Waist adjustment area. frem coordinated adjustment With the main adjusting mechanism, this is accomplished by simply rctating tl1e arm 36 in clockwise direction. When disconnected in thi s manner, the gear 78 may be independently rotated by any suitable means (not shewn).

Wl1ile the drawings and specifieation are directed to a particular type of adjusting mechanism f0r controlling the measurements and contour cf tbe die pattern, it is t0 be understood that the invention is not limited in this respect, as various types of adjustments may be employed with equal efifect. It may also be noted tl1at electronically controlled adjusting mechanisms are contemplated for use in connection with a die pattern embracing the essential features 0f the invention.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the invention may be readily understood by tl1ose skilled in the art with0ut further description, it being berne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed witncnt departing from the spirit of the invention as Set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A cutting die pattern comprising a central longitudinally adjustable snpport member formed of sections arranged in longitudinal telescoping relation, a cutting assembly su1rounding said support member and defining a predetermined basic pattern contour, said cutting assembiy being formed by a series of contiguous, flexible, deuble-edged cutting strips respectively arranged With adjacent portions in overlapping, telescoping relation, said Overlapping portions being slidably connected in laterally spaced relation by coacting guideways and tongue strips respectively mounted 0n and between their opposed faces, lateral connecting meznbers longitudinally spaced on oppesite sides of said central support member extending between respective telescoping sections cf the latter and correspnndim telescoping elements of said cutting assembly, respective connecting members including mechanisms for adjusting tl1e spacing 01": selected areas of said cutting assembly fi'0m said support member and varying tl1e bounding contour of said cutting assembly.

2. A cutting die pattern as claimed in claim 1, Wherein said cutting assemoly includes a crotch portion formed by oppositely bellt, overlapping extremities of two of said cutting strips, said overlapping extremities being relatively slidable to cornpensate in the crotch portion for adjustment cf the adjacent areas of said eutting assern-bly.

3. A cutting die pattern as claimed in claim l, wherein the overlapping extremities of certain cutting strips are provided with intervening spacs'ng means Which coact With said guideways and tongue strips to maintain the lateral epacing of adjacent cutting strips.

5. A cutting die pattern as claimed in claim l, includ- 5 ing supporting blocks attached 10 the cutting assernbly and provided on opposite horizontal surfaces With resilient pads which project slightly beyond the corresponding edges of said cutting assembly.

6. A cutting die pattern as claimed in clairn l, wherein said lateral connecting mernbers include support blocks provided on opposite horizontal surfaces with resilient pads which project slightly beyond the corresponding edges of said cutting assembly.

References Cite by Ehe Examina:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 456,286 7/91 Denzer 33177 X 2,211213 8/40 Lindholm 83-652 22l4743 9/40 Lamb 83-652 X 31l1877 11/63 Rugenstein 83657 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,004 8/ 34 France.

245,350 8/ 10 Germany.

19,223 8/1l Great Britain.

LEON PEAK, Primary Examz'ner. 

1. A CUTTING DIE PATTERN COMPRISING A CENTRAL LONGITUDINALLY ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT MEMBER FORMED OF SECTIONS ARRANGED IN LONGITUDINAL TELESCOPING RELATION, A CUTTING ASSEMBLY SURROUNDING SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND DEFINING A PREDETERMINED BASIC PATTERN CONTOUR, SAID CUTTING ASSEMBLY BEING FORMED BY A SERIES OF CONTIGUOUS, FLEXIBLE, DOUBLE-EDGED CUTTING STRIPS RESPECTIVELY ARRANGED WITH ADJACENT PORTIONS IN OVERLAPPING, TELESCOPING RELATION, SAID OVERLAPPING PORTIONS BEING SLIDABLY CONNECTED IN LATERALLY SPACED RELATION BY COACTING GUIDEWAYS AND TONGUE STRIPS RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED ON AND BETWEEN THEIR OPPOSED FACES, LATERAL CONNECTING MEMBERS LONGITUDINALLY SPACED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CENTRAL SUPPORT MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN RESPECTIVE TELESCOPING SECTIONS OF THE LATTER AND CORRESPONDING TELESCOPING ELEMENTS OF SAID CUTTING ASSEMBLY, RESPECTIVE CONNECTING MEMBERS INCLUDING MECHANISMS FOR ADJUSTING THE SPACING OF SELECTED AREAS OF SAID CUTTING ASSEMBLY FROM SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND VARYING THE BOUNDING CONTOUR OF SAID CUTTING ASSEMBLY. 